2 Blue Jays prospects who are off-limits at the trade deadline after strong spring

Spring Training is often the time of year where players aim to make a strong impression, whether to earn an eventual spot on the Opening Day roster, or provide a memorable audition to secure themselves a place in the organization’s plans for the future.

In the case for the Toronto Blue Jays, they got to witness a plethora of top prospects showing off their skills and abilities during the past few weeks. But two prospects in particular had a such a standout spring showing, that they should be deemed untouchable at the trade deadline as a result. Those two key pieces for the future of the Blue Jays franchise are Brandon Valenzuela and Josh Kasevich.

2 Blue Jays prospects that should be untouchable at the trade deadline after strong spring 

Brandon Valenzuela

With the obvious lack of catching depth within the organization, the Blue Jays went out last season to acquire Valenzuela at the trade deadline at the expense of promising rookie Will Wagner at the time. It was quite the hefty price since Wagner had an impressive MLB debut with the Blue Jays in 2024 that included setting the team’s rookie record for hits in a game with five. 

However, Valenzuela has made sure that the move was worth it after putting his skills on full display with the Blue Jays this Spring Training. The 25-year-old catcher posted a strong .304 average, .848 OPS, along with three runs scored, one home run and five RBIs in 11 games played. He also proved to be steady behind the plate with only one error committed in 57 total chances over 56 innings which included eight starts behind the plate. 

With the next best catching candidate found down in High-A in Edward Duran, Valenzuela represents the most MLB-ready catching prospect right now in the organization for the Blue Jays. As the eventual heir to the backup catcher’s position behind Alejandro Kirk, and to ensure thar the sacrifice of a promising young player in Wagner ends up being worth it, the Jays should hold onto Valenzuela at all costs.

Josh Kasevich 

After an injury-plagued 2025 minor league campaign for Josh Kasevich, he has showed everyone once again why he was consistently a top 15 prospect within the Blue Jays’ organization during the previous three seasons this spring. Kasevich compiled an impressive .306/.375/.500/.875 slash line, together with four runs scored, four doubles, one home run, five RBIs and two stolen bases in 36 at-bats during the preseason. More significantly, he displayed great patience at the plate, striking out only twice to go along with three walks in the 20 games of action he had with the Blue Jays.

With the likes of Arjun Nimmala, JoJo Parker and Juan Sanchez still years away from their eventual arrival in the majors, along with Leo Jiménez being recently designated for assignment in Toronto’s roster crunch to start the 2026 season, Kasevich becomes the vital depth piece at shortstop for the Blue Jays right now.

If MLB incumbent shortstop Andrés Giménez were to falter offensively or go down with an ailment once again this season, it is Kasevich that will be counted upon to help fill the void. As a result, unless the Blue Jays are acquiring a shortstop of greater calibre at the deadline, they should not trade away the aspiring 25-year-old infielder to jeopardize the stability of the position for the franchise’s future.

With this next wave of talent coming up from the Blue Jays’ system, it should help maintain sustainable winning success for the team for the foreseeable future.